status quo ante bellum

US/ˌstætəs ˈkwoʊ ˌænti ˈbɛləm/US/ˌsteɪtəs ˈkwoʊ ˌænti ˈbɛləm/

noun

A situation as it existed prior to the war (often implying the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of pre-war leadership, so that no side gains or loses any rights or territory as a result of the war).

“return to the status quo ante bellum”

OriginLatin status quō ante bellum →
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Meanings

noun
  1. A situation as it existed prior to the war (often implying the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of pre-war leadership, so that no side gains or loses any rights or territory as a result of the war).

    return to the status quo ante bellum

Origin

  1. Latinstatus quō ante bellum
  2. Englishstatus quo ante bellum

Learned borrowing from Latin status quō ante bellum (literally “situation as it existed before the war”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with status quo ante bellum

vellumcerebellumantebellumflagellumscutellumAbelamarchicerebellumcapitellumcerebrocerebellumclitellumflabellumhaustellumlabellumneocerebellumpaleocerebellumpostbellumrostellumskellumspinocerebellumvestibulocerebellum
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

status quo ante bellum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/status%20quo%20ante%20bellum

MLA

“status quo ante bellum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/status%20quo%20ante%20bellum. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “status quo ante bellum,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/status%20quo%20ante%20bellum.

Source: status quo ante bellum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.